Instruments sound gravelly

[Rick Averill]

I've gotten DP set up on my Windows computer (I used to do it on a Mac) and have begun sequencing. A problem that I've encountered is that the voices sound gravelly. I'm not sure how to describe it other than that. It happens with MOTU instruments as well as Garritan sounds. The voices sound fine in their respective stand-alone apps, and the Garritan instruments play quite well in Finale.

If there was a way to attach a file to this post, I'd do that so you can hear just exactly what I'm talking about.

Any ideas what this might be?

[FMiguelez]

A quick null test would help you put a face into this distortion you're hearing (relative to the sound you get from stand-alone apps).

Maybe it's something else...

Anyway, please post a null test. Just capture a short sequence that is identical, playing from DP VS the stand-alone versions. Put a Trim plugin in one of them, and change the polarity of the channel, with a good loudness meter in the master fader.
That's the way to discover if there's anything weird with the instruments and DP (relative to the stand-alone ones) and knowing what it is and how to solve it.
I would be very interested on this.

[Rick Averill]

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately, I don't know how to do any of this. Can you tell me more about these steps?

[FMiguelez]

You would have to setup things in such a way that you could fire a simple sequence and have DP and the stand-alone apps play it, so you could capture it and compare them digitally.
That might get a little complicated, probably involving using the IAC bus or something like that...

However, if the DP distortion is that obvious, you could even just post a simple short audio segment recorded by DP (with the most obvious and distorted instrument you can find), and then also post a very similar one done in one of the other apps (i.e., play the same simple thing live and capture it).

We might be able to tell just by the sound of this difference.

Are you sure there are no plugins or anything else in the sound path of DP that is causing this difference you hear?
Do sample rates and bit depths match?
Is DP using the exact same monitoring output you're using for the other apps?

Otherwise, I can't think of anything else except for a weird thing DP might be doing with your samples (this could be determined with a null test). What are these sounds/instruments you're having trouble with, BTW?

[stubbsonic]

Yea. Sometimes, if there's an audio sync issue, it can make things sound messed up. I'm on a mac, so I don't know if all this is the same.

Setup/Configure Audio System.../Configure Hardware Driver...

Set the buffer to 256, if your computer is reasonably fast that should give you enough.

Check out the clock mode options. See if changing something here improves the sound.

[cuttime]

i think the only way we can hear it is if you post a YouTube video. I don't know what could cause this, but I suggest opening the Effect Performance window and see if there is a plug insert you may be overlooking. I know it has happened to me.

[HCMarkus]

Overloading your D/A converter?

Sometimes VIs run too hot and need to be reduced in level at the mixer in DP. You can lower the VI fader or insert a Trim plugin in the VI's channel strip.

[CharlzS]

What audio interface and hardware config in DP (ASIO or Windows Audio)? Sample rate and buffer size? Are you using same audio device for system sound and DP? What's the output config for Finale when using Garitan? That kind of stuff . . .

[Rick Averill]

Thank you all for the replies.
Unfortunately, I don't know how to do all of that. I tried to figure out how to change the buffer size, without success. The DP user guide talks a lot about it, but I can't find where it says how to do it.
Any further help you can give me will be appreciated.

[Rick Averill]

Okay—I found where the User Guide says to set the buffer size under Setup>Configure Audio System>Configure Hardware Driver. But the window that opens doesn't look anything like the one shown in the User Guide. It doesn't show the buffer size. There's a drop-down menu that lists Windows Audio and ASIO (don't know what that is or which I should use) and a button that opens the Sound control panel. But I don't see where to set the buffer size.

Again, any help would be appreciated.

[stubbsonic]

Setup/Configure Audio System.../Configure Hardware Driver...

When I typed the above text, in this very thread, I was hoping to save you the bother of looking it up in the manual.

It looks like you were able to find the information that I had already taken the time and effort to provide for you. Perhaps it threw you because I used "/" instead of ">"

Perhaps if you select different drivers in that window, they may or may not have buffers as options. Or perhaps in Windows, the buffer needs to be set in some other way.

[CharlzS]

Okay—I found where the User Guide says to set the buffer size under Setup>Configure Audio System>Configure Hardware Driver. But the window that opens doesn't look anything like the one shown in the User Guide. It doesn't show the buffer size. There's a drop-down menu that lists Windows Audio and ASIO (don't know what that is or which I should use) and a button that opens the Sound control panel. But I don't see where to set the buffer size.

Again, any help would be appreciated.

You still haven't mentioned what you are using for an audio interface. More information is better - otherwise too many if then scenarios to cover.

In the Configure Hardware Dialog you should select ASIO in the top dropdown if available. Then select the ASIO Driver in the next dropdown for whatever audio interface you are using. On Windows, for ASIO devices, you configure the buffer size in the ASIO control panel for your audio interface - click the Configure Driver button to bring this up. The driver configuration is specific to whatever audio device you are using and you should see a buffer setting in there. Don't be overly ambitious with your buffer setting to start. Try 256 a work down/up from there.

If there are no devices available under ASIO Driver, that means you either haven't installed drivers or you don't have an ASIO capable interface. That would make Windows Audio the only thing available. There is no user controlled buffer setting for Windows Audio - it is set by the OS and is pretty high latency.

[Rick Averill]

Thank you for your detailed reply. I will check this out.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

.

[Rick Averill]

Success! I downloaded the ASIO Driver and set the buffer to 256. The problem went away immediately. Thank you so much for the help—all of you who responded. Your generosity with your knowledge and experience is greatly appreciated.